Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

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Joseph Herman Hirschhorn

Nationality: Latvian/American
Date of birth: 11 August 1899
Place of birth: Mitau, Latvia
Date of death: 31 August 1981
Category: collector

Identity:

He emigrated to the USA with his widowed mother at the age of six. Hirshhorn's first wife was Jennie Berman; they had four children. His second wife was Lily Harmon and the third, Brenda Hawley Heide.

Life:

An entrepreneur and financier who made a fortune from, among other things, uranium. He collected 19-20th century art. In 1966 Hirshhorn donated some 6,000 paintings and sculptures to the United States government, plus a $2 million endowment. The Smithsonian Institution established the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., in 1966 and it opened in 1974. He bequeathed 6,000 more works and a $5 million endowment to the museum.

Bibliography:

'Joseph Hirschorn', Wikipedia.